► MG’s fifth EV is here
► It’s a B-segment SUV
► Three variants, ending with the Trophy
You’re looking at the new MG S5 EV, yet another new challenger in the increasingly busy B-segment SUV market and the fifth EV from the brand. It’ll ride on the same Modular Scalable Platform as the incredibly successful 4 hatchback and MG bosses will be hoping for similar success: the hatchback has sold 42,000 units in the UK since its launch back in September 2022, and it’s now the third best-selling EV in private retail.
Another B-segment SUV?
Yes, and for good reason. The B-segment electric SUV is booming right now, and everyone from Skoda and Fiat to Kia and BYD is looking for a piece of the action. ‘You know, this segment is about 30% of the UK car market,’ said David Allison, MG UK’s head of Product and Planning at a preview event earlier this year. ‘It’s a great time for us to be launching a new model in it.’
‘It seems that everyone is launching this type of car at once,’ he adds. We’d agree, there’s been a flurry of small electric SUVs in 2025, with everything from the BYD Atto 2 to the Grande Panda and Kia EV3 launching this year. That means more choice for consumers, but more of a headache for the brands competing.
‘It’s a segment of the market which fits really well for battery electric cars,’ Allison tells us. ‘It’s been on a massive rise.’ Measuring 4476mm by 1849 by 1621mm the S5 EV is a touch larger and higher than the MG 4 and offers 453-litres of boot space to the hatchback’s 363-litres.
The styling of the MG S5 EV is equally conservative, largely sticking to the MG 4’s inoffensive looks, albeit stretched over a slightly larger frame. It gets a split grille to echo MG’s flagship Cyberster EV, as well as integrated low beams which seem to be all the rage now. At the rear you’ll find 17- or 18-inch alloys, a roof bar and full-width light bar at the rear. There’s not a great deal to notice design-wise on the S5 EV, and it’s equally inoffensive through the air, clocking an efficient Cd of just 0.27. It’ll be available in six colours including Dynamic Red, Piccadilly Blue – and four other monochrome shades.
‘We’re taking a really, really good base for the car, putting a slightly more versatile body style on top of it, updating the interior and bringing a bit more modern technology into it, because the pace of technology and EVs changes so quickly.’
What are the specs like?
The S5 EV will come in three variants: the SE Standard Range, the SE Long Range, and the Trophy Long Range which tops the line up. The Standard Range uses a 49kWh battery for a range of 211 miles, while the larger battery used in both the SE Long Range and Trophy Long Range will last for 298 miles. Charging speed is 120kW for the two 49kWh models and a slightly faster for the 139kW for the larger battery models. When paired with a 170kW motor on the rear axle, the larger battery models can hit 62mph im a solid 6.3 seconds.
Prices are £28,495 for the entry-level SE Standard Range car, with a £2500 hike for the SE Long Range car at £30,995. There’s then a further £2500 bump over the Long Range car to the £33,495 Trophy, though that gives you several extra options including heated front seats, a leather-style interior, an electric tail gate and a 360-degree camera.
‘We find that by combining the highest spec with the longest battery, that tends to be the sweet spot,’ says MG’s Allison when I ask him about which trims he think will sell the best. ‘So bigger wheels, privacy, glass, half leather, trim, heated seats, heated steering wheel, electric tailgate. There’s quite a lot of equipment in there, and on a monthly payment, it’s not a massive increase for what people would be looking to pay.’
It’s a pattern MG has seen throughout its EV range, and the S5 EV looks to repeat the trend.
What about inside?
Inside MG says the S5 EV is a step over its previous cars and we’d agee – although the difference is slight. There are two screens, a 12.8-inch panel for the infotainment and 10.25-inch one for the cockpit dials. Both appeared sharp when we had a poke around at the car’s reveal. Equally proficient was the infotainment which zipped through menus nicely. We’d expect the same performance on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but we didn’t get to try TikTok or YouTube, which now come pre-baked into the system.
MG says parts of this interior will make it into its next round of EVs, which is not a bad thing.
Elsewhere, you’ll find slightly softer materials in the two-tone interior and physical buttons for climate control.
What about the safety tech?
The S5 EV gets seven airbags as well as the latest version of MG Pilot, the brands adaptive cruise control system. Alongside you’ll find the usual ADAS stuff such as a forward collision warning, rear cross traffic alert and other bits. There’s also an MG Pilot Custom setting which enables you to quickly and easily turn off the various legally required bongs, warnings and beeps that the S5 EV and every other new car is required to have.
Who is going to buy the S5 EV?
MG first hopes that existing 4 or ZS EV owners will be interested in the larger, more modern S5 EV – but is eyeing up the competition too.
‘We’ve spent the last four or five years stealing someone else’s customer, and that’s what we fully intend to do in the future as well,’ he says. ‘If you look at this, this segment, you look at something like a Kia EV3 and Skoda Elroq, or a Hyundai Kona. All really, really great cars, you know, very, very stiff competition. But I think with the platform that this sits on with the equipment, and certainly with the price point, I think we should be able to compete with them.’
The price point will be key, as that’s where MG sees the biggest opportunity – and with private retail sales second only to Tesla from 2019 to 2024, it’s probably onto something.
‘With the Trophy, we’re finishing with the longest range, the most level of equipment, where most of our competitors started with the smaller batteries and the and the lowest ranges,’ Allison tells us. ‘And it’s a strategy that’s worked really well for us.’